Five million Koreans used ChatGPT app in October, sevenfold increase from last year

In October, over 5 million Koreans started using OpenAI's ChatGPT app, marking a sevenfold increase from last year, with users spending an average of 51.6 minutes per month on the platform.

OpenAI and ChatGPT logos are seen in this illustration taken in 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The number of Koreans using OpenAI's ChatGPT mobile app surpassed 5 million for the first time in October, logging a sevenfold increase from a year ago, when the number of users hovered just over 700,000 users.

“Around 10 percent of smartphone users in Korea, which amounts to 51.2 million, are using ChatGPT,” market tracker WiseappㆍRetailㆍGoods said Tuesday.

The average time spent on the ChatGPT app stood at 51.6 minutes per month, which is 20 minutes more than a year ago, the market tracker said. The average number of days people used ChatGPT in a month also increased from 3.2 days to 5.7 days during the cited period.

The number of visits to ChatGPT topped 3.1 billion in September worldwide, a whopping 112 percent year-over-year jump, according to Similarweb data.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]